Wooden blocks have been around for a long time. They are generally considered a safe and entertaining way for children and, occasionally, adults to play. They also serve an educational purpose as well. In addition to helping develop a child's imagination, research has found that playing with toy blocks has a strong link to literacy development. A recent study reported in the October 2007 issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine shows a strong association between playing with building blocks and a significant increase in language scores in young children. On average, children who played with blocks scored 15 percent higher on their language assessment than those who did not. Researchers speculate that such a measurable increase is partly due to creative block play replacing other time spent in activities that do not encourage language development, such as watching television. They also maintain that child and parent playing together remains the strongest way of promoting a child's development.
Games involving stackable blocks and tower building are well represented in the marketplace. Many involve a common theme; starting with a cuboid tower and subsequently removing pieces and replacing them on the top of the tower. Play continues until the tower falls due to removal of a key piece or poor placement of that same piece. Some examples include, but are not limited to: Milton Bradley's game sold under the trademark JENGA, U.S. Pat. No. 7,059,606 to S. W. Butcher “GAME PLAYING METHODS AND GAME PIECE STACK FORMATIONS FOR PLAYING SAME”, U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,496 to R. Grebler “ACTIVITY-DIRECTED STACKING PIECE GAME” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,544 to R. K. Grebler “STACKING BRICK TOWER GAME”. These games all provide a similar game playing experience.
There are also games involving the stacking of blocks to complete a tower or a desired shape. These include U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,918 to G. A. Kramer “BUILDING BLOCK GAME”, U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,128 to J. C. Ebel “CENTER OF GRAVITY-APPRAISAL BLOCK GAME” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,832 to E. T. Holahan “STACKING BLOCK GAME”. These games employ blocks of different shapes and sizes and varying rules for their placement.
Although these games have some similarities to the present invention, none of the games incorporate a plurality of differently shaped blocks specifically designed to create a tower of ever-increasing instability without any removal or replacement of pieces, combined with a score-based incentive and the use of a die, all while providing an environment where no two games are played exactly the same.